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Sure Shot Entrepreneur Newsletter

Foundation Capital, Ulu, Honeycomb: The Sure Shot Entrepreneur Newsletter

Published 5 months ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader,

Typos on a slide deck are not a concern for me, and I prefer engaging with entrepreneurs in the early stages of their pitch deck development. However, the conventional pitch deck remains a significant tool for many venture capitalists. It serves effectively as pre-meeting reading or post-meeting review material. The critical aspect is the seamless alignment of your narrative, actual presentation, and the deck itself, ensuring clarity and comprehension. The deck should amplify your message, not obscure it. When founders articulate their vision and value proposition cogently to investors, their "reality distortion field" begins to crack.

Listen to my new podcast episode with Zach Noorani, partner at Foundation Capital. He articulates the role of a slide deck in the fundraising process.

– Gopi Rangan, Host of the The Sure Shot Entrepreneur podcast​

Startup Corner: Honeycomb

​Honeycomb is pushing the boundaries of insurtech with Honeycomb Specialty, its non-admitted insurance program, now expanded across all 18 states where the company operates. More importantly, per-policy insured limits have increased from $10 million to $25 million.

In an industry wrestling with capacity and underwriting challenges, Honeycomb's AI-powered underwriting and computer vision platform allows it to underwrite properties previously deemed too risky. The unified platform enables customers to manage both admitted and specialty coverage in a single workflow.

With this expansion, Honeycomb continues transforming the market by making insurance faster, fairer, and more data-driven.

Podcast Entries: Don’t Ditch the Pitch Deck

​My guest in episode 172 is Zach Noorani, Partner at Foundation Capital. Zach digs into what he considers the venture deal-maker’s real assessment: differentiation. The standout companies are those whose founders showcase authentic insights, relentless learning velocity, and a clear perspective on how they’re fundamentally unique.

Zach also makes a compelling case for keeping the classic pitch deck. He argues that even in today’s world of polished, conversational pitches, decks are invaluable tools to structure complex narratives and reduce cognitive load during founder-investor discussions.

Drawing on over a decade in early-stage investing within fintech and enterprise, Zach brings a nuanced view that combines human connection, strategic communication, and deep conviction.

Connected Insights: Decks, Data, and Decision Clarity

​In episode 21, my guest was Clint Korver, cofounder at Ulu Ventures. Clint shares his structured, data-informed take on reducing bias: mark every pitch with a “Vulcan mind-meld market mapping session.” Clint believes that thoughtful frameworks can help VCs distinguish between noise and meaningful opportunity. He also emphasizes that entrepreneurs and VCs alike should write down decision criteria upfront to avoid letting bias decide outcomes.

Both Zach (episode 172) and Clint (episode 21) spotlight how disciplined storytelling, whether through pitch decks or analytic frameworks, combined with clear, bias-aware decision making, strengthens founder-edge and investor conviction.

​

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Sure Shot Entrepreneur Newsletter

Gopi Rangan

Enable Peace of Mind for all. We believe in mission-driven entrepreneurs at the earliest stages before the rest of the world realizes the impact of their visionary ideas. This newsletter pairs well with our podcast that shares all the funders and founders' knowledge to startup and scale your ideas. All the best, Gopi

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